Aviation & Real-World Flying 2 min read

How many Antonov An-225s were built, and how many remain?

How many Antonov An-225 aircraft were built? See the exact count of completed, unfinished and surviving Mriya airframes, with the key distinction.
Ian Stephens

Only one Antonov An-225 Mriya was completed and flown in real-world aviation. That aircraft was destroyed at Hostomel Airport in Ukraine in February 2022, so no complete, operational An-225 remains. A second airframe was started but never finished; counting it as a second “built” Mriya is misleading.

Was a second Antonov An-225 built?

A second An-225 entered construction during the Soviet programme, but it was never completed, registered for service or flown. Work stopped after the programme lost its original purpose of carrying the Buran space shuttle and other exceptionally large loads.

This creates two valid numbers, depending on what “built” means:

CategoryNumberMeaning
Completed and flown1UR-82060, the Mriya that first flew in 1988
Airframes started2The completed aircraft plus one unfinished airframe
Complete aircraft remaining0The sole finished An-225 was destroyed in 2022
Unfinished airframes1A partially assembled second airframe that has never flown

Why do some sources say two An-225s were built?

Those sources are usually counting both construction projects rather than completed aircraft. In aviation production records, a manufacturer may assign a construction identity or begin assembling an airframe long before it becomes a finished aeroplane.

The accurate short answer is therefore one An-225 completed, two airframes started, and zero complete aircraft remaining. The unfinished structure should not be described as a second operational Mriya.

How many An-225s remain after Hostomel?

No intact or airworthy An-225 remains. UR-82060 suffered catastrophic damage during the fighting at Hostomel in February 2022; surviving wreckage and potentially reusable components do not count as a complete aircraft. Our account of the attack at Hostomel and the damage to Mriya explains what happened.

The unfinished second airframe is a separate case. It represents the basis of a possible future aircraft, not a surviving example of the An-225 that once flew commercial missions.

Could the unfinished airframe become another flying Mriya?

It could serve as the foundation for a replacement, but completing it would require far more than joining the remaining major structures. The project would need suitable components, engines, modernised systems, engineering work, testing and approval before it could be counted as another completed An-225.

Antonov has discussed rebuilding Mriya and using material from both airframes, but a proposal or partially assembled structure is not a finished aircraft. We cover that distinction in our assessment of the An-225 rebuild project and second airframe.

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